LAS VEGAS, Nev. (FOX5) – A “Master Plan” is being developed for the site of the former Tropicana Hotel to better integrate a baseball stadium and forthcoming resort, according to the chairman of Bally’s Corporation, which could change the placement of both attractions on the property and centralize a ballpark.
The 36-acre portion of land at the corner of Tropicana Avenue and Las Vegas Boulevard is owned by GLPI, which offered nine acres to the Athletics for stadium development, leaving 27 acres for a future Bally’s property. GLPI and Bally’s committed the southeast corner of the property for stadium development.
According to Chairman Soo Kim, plans are in the works to create more synergy with a ballpark, a resort and the Strip. Kim met with FOX5 in the Las Vegas Valley to discuss developments.
“Our initial plan was to set the stadium back and leave the rest of the site open to development,” he said. “There is a prevailing thought that maybe we should explore putting it more centrally,” Kim said.
A potential centralized stadium location will, in turn, impact pedestrian and vehicle access for both the ballpark and resort, spurring the need for a cohesive Master Plan. The plan will require coordination with neighboring properties as well, he said.
“There’s an opportunity to offer the patrons more integration, and in that way, make the rest of the remaining acreage more valuable. Great sporting experiences are shared outside the arena, whether it’s the walk, or the concourses, or the energy outside the stadium,” Kim said.
“Modern arena design is what happens outside the stadium. That energy is the way to go,” Kim said. “I think the stadium Is going to be an amazing amenity for the city, for tourism and the community. It’s on us to bring a resort to life that’s as exciting as [John] Fisher’s plan for the stadium,” he said.
Though a representative on a recent Bally’s earnings call indicated that the operator could take time to develop a new resort, Kim said that executives are exploring the possibility of building “simultaneously” alongside stadium construction.
“There’s a lot of work being done. There’s a lot of important decisions we’re trying to make. We had a simple solution early, and now we’re trying to come up with an optimal solution,” he said, saying that members of the Las Vegas Valley community will be pleased with the future results after years of planning and construction.
Representatives of the Athletics, LVCVA and Stadium Authority have said construction could start in spring of 2025 and be ready by spring of 2028.
The company will be “fiscally prudent” as it decides on a construction timeline. he said. Although construction could commence simultaneously, Kim said completion of the entire resort could occur in stages after the stadium’s 2028 opening day.
Although Kim previously discussed in 2023 a focus on a “sports” theme for a future property, he said the priority has been to finalize the Master Plan.
Demolition of the Tropicana Hotel is on time and on schedule with an implosion planned for October or even September, he said, all to deliver a site ready for the Athletics to commence stadium construction.
Copyright 2024 KVVU. All rights reserved.
